Four ships, PŻM and other owners

Rebuild of the Siemens E53153-A1620-L1 pump automation

The Siemens E53153-A1620-L1 automatic control system for main and auxiliary engine pumps had been operating for decades on many vessels, including a large series of PŻM ships. When the manufacturer discontinued the integrated circuits it relied on, we developed our own, fully compatible replacement

What we achieved

A modular control system based on a reprogrammable microcontroller
Full compatibility with Siemens E53153-A1620-L1 modules
No need to modify the control panel, wiring or actuators
User communication via an attachable LCD display
Module calibration and replacement can be done by the crew, without calling in service
Deployed on four ships

Problem

The system was responsible for automatic pump switchover during engine operation and fault signalling, accounting for hysteresis through a time-delay-based mechanism. After more than thirty years in service its failure rate began to climb — the cause being damaged integrated circuits that Siemens had long since discontinued

Solution

We built a system based on a reprogrammable microcontroller. This approach delivers very fast operation and makes it easy to adapt the system to new operating conditions, which the original could not do. Calibration, testing and full module replacement were designed to be simple enough for any crew member to carry out

Result

The result is a complete, modular pump automation control system that, from an operational standpoint, outperforms the original. Thanks to full compatibility, the only required step is installing and calibrating MAREL boards in place of the old units, keeping deployment costs exceptionally low. The system has now been implemented on four ships in total